L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP Sells 370 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP decreased its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 370 shares during the quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $687,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of VVV. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Valvoline by 92.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the period. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 466.7% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 83.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,332 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Valvoline by 46.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of VVV stock opened at $40.10 on Wednesday. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.90 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19 and a beta of 1.45.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. On average, analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby acquired 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $39.50 per share, with a total value of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at $1,044,261.50. This trade represents a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $76,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $598,240. This represents a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on VVV. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 price objective (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Stephens began coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.11.

About Valvoline

Valvoline Inc engages in the operation and franchising of vehicle service centers and retail stores in the United States and Canada. The company, through its service centers, provides fluid exchange for motor oil, transmission and differential fluid, and coolant; parts replacement for batteries, filters, wiper blades, and belts; and safety services, such as tire inflation and rotation, bulbs, and safety checks.